MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: The tragic murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020 sent shockwaves across the United States, igniting widespread protests that rippled across the globe. This event marked a pivotal moment that forced societies to confront the deeply entrenched issues of police brutality and racism. The subsequent trial and conviction of Chauvin marked a step towards justice, but the repercussions extended beyond a single individual.
Tou Thao, one of the officers involved in the incident faced his own reckoning during the legal proceedings on Monday, August 7, 2023. In May, Thao, who had positioned himself to control the crowd while fellow officers subdued Floyd, was convicted by a jury of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. During the trial, he asserted that his role resembled that of a "human traffic cone" throughout the fatal incident. He was sentenced to four years and nine months in state prison.
At the hearing, Thao expressed his distress over Floyd's death while adamantly denying any responsibility for the crime. "I did not commit these crimes," Thao asserted, adding, "My conscience is clear. I will not be a Judas nor join a mob in self-preservation or betray my God." Presiding Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill, who oversaw the trial, responded to Thao's statements, expressing his hope for more remorse and less "preaching" after three years of reflection.
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Nevertheless, Thao's actions set him apart from his fellow officers, Chauvin, Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane, who were also implicated in the incident. With Monday's sentencing, a significant chapter in this ongoing saga comes to a close. Thao, already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence on federal charges, will now be transferred to a Minnesota state prison to serve his remaining terms.
Meanwhile, Chauvin is serving concurrent state and federal sentences totaling more than 20 years. Kueng and Lane are serving three-year sentences each. “There is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao’s actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances,” Cahill wrote.
The sentencing followed three days after a federal appeals court rejected Thao's claim of prosecutorial misconduct. The court upheld his conviction for violating Floyd's civil rights during the tragic incident in 2020 when Chauvin held his knee on Floyd's neck. Thao's failure to intervene in Chauvin's use of unreasonable force was deemed a violation of Floyd's rights. Moreover, the court found Thao to be "deliberately indifferent to Floyd's medical needs," further underscoring his lack of responsibility in the situation.
